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San Francisco icon, legendary musician, SF Giants fan passes away at 96

20-time Grammy Award-winning artist, San Francisco legend, and SF Giants fan Tony Bennett passed away on Friday at 96.
Steven Rissotto|
San Francisco icon, legendary musician, SF Giants fan passes away at 96
San Francisco icon, legendary musician, SF Giants fan passes away at 96

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San Francisco Giants

Tony Bennett, the 20-time Grammy Award-winning artist known for easy-to-listen jazz music and diehard SF Giants fan, passed away on Friday at the age of 96. Having sold over 50 million records worldwide, Bennett's work left an indelible mark on the music industry.

While no cause of death was disclosed, Bennett had been battling Alzheimer's since his diagnosis in 2016.

Bennett’s signature 1962 song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” has echoed through the walls of Oracle Park for numerous years with the team playing the tune after every home victory.

The organization released a statement on Twitter regarding the passing of one of its most notable fans.

“The #SFGiants are saddened to hear of the loss of Tony Bennett, a true legend whose music will live on at Oracle Park,” the statement read. “We cherish the memories of his friendship & many visits. We will remember him for leaving his heart in San Francisco. Our deepest condolences to his family.”

On multiple occasions, Bennett graced Giants fans with live performances of the song. Before the home opener at Candlestick Park in 1993, he was joined by The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia in a heartfelt rendition of "I Left My Heart..." The performance held added significance that day, as the Giants had nearly relocated to Florida in the offseason, but were ultimately saved by Peter Magowan's ownership group, ensuring their continued presence in San Francisco.

He also visited the club during their 2002, 2010, 2012, and 2014 postseason runs to perform the song. At the 2012 World Series parade, Bennett concluded the festivities by performing his famous song at San Francisco City Hall in front of thousands of fans.

For his 90th birthday, San Francisco honored Bennett by installing an 8-foot bronze statue of the musician outside the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill –– the location where he performed “I Left My Heart…” for the first time in 1961.

Tony Bennett passed away at his home in New York City just two weeks shy of turning 97. He leaves behind his wife, Susan Crow, and four children; Danny, Antonia, Dae, and Joanna. 

The entire Giants Baseball Insider team sends our condolences to the family and friends of Tony Bennett.

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Steven Rissotto
STEVEN RISSOTTO

Steven Rissotto (he/him) is an award-winning journalist who currently covers the San Francisco Giants for SFBay.ca and Giants Baseball Insider. At 19-years-old in 2021, he joined SF Bay Media as the Giants beat writer, covering games a few times a week during the Giants’ record-setting 107-win season. Along with his game story coverage he is also the host of RizzoCast, a baseball podcast he founded in 2020 that features interviews with professional and amateur baseball players, coaches, media, fans, and everyone else around the game. Past guests have included Tyler Glasnow, Bob Kendrick, Shawn Estes, Bill Laskey, Renel Brooks Moon, Dave Dravecky, Ned Colletti, Denard Span, Ron Wotus, Joe Maddon, J.T. Snow and more. He is also a co-host with Tylor Hall on the Shutdown Inning Podcast, a show focused on all the latest happenings around the baseball world. Both podcasts are available on YouTube and everywhere podcasts are found. Currently, he is a student at San Francisco State University where he is majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in print/online and minoring in education. At SF State, he is the managing editor for Golden Gate Xpress, the student-run newspaper. He was formerly a member of the newspaper at Skyline College, where he served as editor-in-chief and news editor while also writing sports and features. He was formerly a student-journalist at Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, where he pitched for the baseball team and covered some of the biggest stories in campus history. This includes a new multi-sports facility on campus, the breaking news coverage of Riordan’s coed announcement and the COVID-19 pandemic. Steven is well-respected by his peers and has been honored numerous times by Student Newspapers Online, JEA, ACP, and the California Publishing Association. In 2021, he finished second in the country for Reporter of the Year for ACP among the two-year college schools.

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